How to Make Christening Invitations

By eHow Parties & Entertaining Editor

A christening is another word for a baptism or a welcoming of a newborn into a Christian faith. Depending on your family, a christening may be the first time your entire family gets together to meet and welcome your new baby. If you're having a christening, you may be wondering about invitations.

Step by Step:

Step 1

Decide if you want to make hand-made invitations or personalized invitations printed off your computer. If you want invitations printed off your computer, websites such as Blue Mountain Cards and MakeOwnInvitations can help you.

Step 2

Choose whether you want folded christening invitations (with a message on the outside and inside) or two-sided invitations (messages on both sides). Two-sided invitations may be easier to create.

Step 3

Think about using a picture of your baby on the outside or the inside of a folded invitation. This is a great way to personalize the invitation.

Step 4

Consider using Christian symbols as you create your christening invitations. Look at preprinted invitations for ideas.

Step 5

Budget carefully. If you are using lace, stencils, tissue paper and beads on your invitations, the costs will quickly rise. If your budget is small, keep your invitations simple.  

Step 6 

Stick to basics. Remember, you have a new baby in the house and probably don't have a great deal of time to create complex invitations. Include your baby's name, the family name, RSVP information and date, place and time on the invitation. Consider putting small maps inside the envelopes before you mail the invitations. Invite your friends and family to contact you for further information about the christening.

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Finding the Right Christening Gift
Things to Consider 

• If you’ve been invited to a baby celebration – whether it’s a christening, thanksgiving service or a naming ceremony – you’ll need to buy a gift. Much like a wedding gift, a christening gift is no ordinary, run of the mill present. It takes careful thought. Some of the things worth considering are:
   
• Your Role: Are you a godparent or a specially named mentor to the child? If you are, you’ll want to either spend more or make the gift more personal, memorable or traditional than if you were just a regular guest.
   
• Traditional vs Practical: Many of the traditional christening presents aren’t always practical. Think about the family you’re buying for. Do they tend to be quite traditional or are they more modern and practical in nature? A silver rattle for example might be viewed as a dust collector by a more practical, contemporary family while families with a traditional outlook will treasure it as one of their child’s keepsakes.
   
• Longevity of the gift: Think about what you want the gift to mean to the child once they grow up. Is it a gift that they can use and keep as an adult – for example, silver cufflinks, tankard or a financial investment - or is it something that is only really suitable for use as a child – for example a toy, book collection or item of clothing?
   
• Religion: A popular christening gift for babies is a First Bible or book of religious stories, as it’s their introduction to the Church. However, if the family isn’t religious and is opting for a naming ceremony, a gift like this would probably be inappropriate. A more contemporary gift might be more relevant.
   
• Personal and Unusual: If you want your gift to stand out, consider personalizing it. Just about anything can be personalized today – from engraved silverware to embroidered nursery items and named stars!
   
• Budget: As christening presents tend to be slightly more special than the average gift, people usually spend a little more. However, it’s possible to get beautiful gifts for under $20 if budgets are tight. The norm is to spend between $20 and $50 is you’re a regular guest and between $50 and $100 if you’re a godparent or named mentor. However, the sky’s the limit and you can splurge on gifts of enormous value.  

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Choosing Unique Christening Favors

 Your child's Christening is not only the first official step in his or her spiritual life, it is a meaningful day for you as a parent. There are details from big to small to be thought through from who will be the Godparents, to what Christening favors you'll select for the celebration. You can add a special touch to all aspects with some creative thought and in some cases, even asking for some help. To help you with one area that although small can bring a lovely touch to the day, consider these three ideas for Christening favors or use them for inspiration to select something just right for your special event.

Traditional Reflections of the Day since a Christening is a religious occasion, the traditional theme for a favor is something symbolic of your faith. Depending on budget and the type of celebration you are having there are many possibilities such as an edible cross shaped cookie, a dove candle, or an elegant rosary. All of these could be personalized with a photo or the baby's name and date of the Christening. If you are going to choose a knick-knack that will be a keepsake however, consider the possibility that not everyone who will be attending may share your same religion before using a traditional symbol such as a crucifix or rosary when selecting your Christening favors. However, if you know that all of your guests are of your faith, then this can be a very meaningful gesture to send people home with something that will have that significance for them, or even be useful, as well as being a memento of this special event.

The Godparents Ask the Godparents if they would be willing to participate in the celebration by choosing something that represents this special event to them. Perhaps they are from Italian descent and would like to send guests home with a traditional Italian bomboniere of Jordan almonds and will say a few words about the significance of the favor and thank everyone for coming. This is not only a great way to take one item off of your planning list and delegate it, but it gets the Godparents more intimately involved in this special day in a personal way for them as well. Of course you would not expect them to pay for the Christening favors, but you would give them a budget to work within when suggesting ideas so that something too expensive is not chosen unexpectedly.

A Personal Touch You can bring your family's personality into the day by using the Christening favor as a way to send people home with something that will remind them very specifically of not just the day, but of your family personally. If you and your family have a particular hobby or collect something special that people associate with you, this is something that might be nice to use when choosing your favor. For example, if you are a family that loves boating, giving guests a nautical themed favor will not only remind them of this time they spent with you, but of something important to your family life. Another variation of this is to use the theme you've selected for the baby's room décor to draw the connection of your guests to the child outside of just the event. All of these can again be personalized with the Christening date or a photo of your child to tie them in with the special day.

The important thing to remember is that when you send someone home with something from the Christening, you want it to be something to have them feel appreciated by your family for having spent this time with you on your special day. That is the true purpose of not only the Christening favor but of all event favors. With a little careful thought, your Christening favor can be more than just another trinket for guests to take home, but can be something meaningful for not only the family, but the guests as well.

About the Author:
Cheryl Salto loves helping to make celebrations personal and meaningful as the owner of AllInOneFunFavors.com specializing in providing an extensive online selection of Christening and other event favors at http://www.allinonefunfavors.com/christening-communion-favors.html ) for life’s special celebrations. http://www.allinonefunfavors.com

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Christening, a Time for Joy

The day has finally come to welcome your child into the church. Emotionally and spiritually it's one of the most uplifting and spiritual events you'll ever experience. Planning this event can be a daunting task. Many decisions have to be made. Who will the godparents be? Will there be a celebration afterwards, will you use a new christening gown or use one handed down for tradition? These questions go though the minds of every parent that is embarking on this spiritual journey with their children.

With the guidance of your congregation leaders you’ll find that tradition often dictates the process of the ceremony and you’ll be deeply prepared by your leadership and they will ensure everything goes smoothly. The majority of your worries should simply be on planning the celebration of a life with God once your child has been baptized.

Many parents turn their focus to the pomp and circumstance of the event and they pay particular attention to items such as celebration planning and Christening gowns. The ceremony is usually filled with tradition and life and going with tradition the clothing your child will wear is a big part of the day. Usually vibrant whites are used to symbolize purity. Beautiful christening gowns or outfits are usually a significant highlight of the ceremony and can become a beautiful reminder of that day and an heirloom for generations to come.

Most Christening celebrations take place in the home but as the ceremonies take place in the church more often these days it’s become common for the celebrations to take place in recreation centers located at the church. However, a traditionalist will likely want to return their child to the comfort of the home to celebrate their newly joined bond with God. The celebration tends to be smaller but not somber in the least. This should be planed as a joyous event with excitement. Godparents play a prominent role in the celebration, as they are the ones responsible for guiding your child’s through the early years of the church. They will be a significant influence in your child’s life so it should be nature that they play a significant role in this day.

This is a joyous occasion and pictures say a thousand words. This should be a day you look back on with fond memories and having photographic remembrances of this event will serve as a long time reminder of the bond that was forged between their family and God on that special occasion.

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Christening Gowns in Linens - For a Comfortable Baby!

If you are having your baby christened in a warm climate, take a look at the array of christening gowns in linens that are available. Linen is a very light fabric which can look formal if starched, or less formal but not less beautiful if left natural. For a christening in Phoenix, Arizona for example, linen would be a perfect choice.

Un-starched linen is such a soft fabric that it lends itself to beautiful decoration so that elaborately embroidered or smocked christening gowns can be made with it. White linen looks clean, fresh and cool so that any baby christened in a linen gown should look unaffected by the heat.

Comfort is Necessary for the Baby at a Christening

A baby's christening is for many families the first big event in the child's life. It's the first chance that many friends and relatives get to see the baby and so the choosing the perfect christening gown for the occasion is a big decision. One of the most important factors to consider for the christening gown is that it's comfortable for the baby to wear.

Many babies object to be handled by strangers, and even more object to having water poured over their heads, so adding fussy frills and un-necessarily uncomfortable clothes isn't going to make the baby very happy. A happy baby is a content baby and a content baby is far more likely to put up with the other events of the day so make sure that the christening gown you choose makes the baby feel comfortable. It shouldn't be too restrictive, or too heavy. Choose a gown that fits the climate at the time of the christening, and if possible, choose a gown that can have small stains sponged off!

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Making Your Baby Look Angelic in His/Her’s Christening Gown

The christening gown is usually one of the first things that comes to mind as you are planning this sacred celebration for your baby. Everybody’s focus during this special occasion will be on your precious little one so you want him or her to look beautiful from head to toe.

A christening gown is usually the selected attire for baby girls and can also be worn by baby boys unless a suit or romper is preferred. Gowns are customarily made out of a white fabric such as silk, cotton, satin or organza. White is the chosen color since it symbolizes innocence and purity.

Because the christening gown you choose might very well become a family tradition that will be worn by future generations, be sure you select an heirloom quality gown. Another consideration will be the time of the year during which the baptism or christening will take place. Appropriate sleeve length and fabric thickness should be chosen for the season.

After all the basic decisions are made, remember to let your heart do the shopping and allow yourself to fall in love with the gown you ultimately choose for your baby.

If you are planning to save your baby’s christening gown as an heirloom, you might want to consider purchasing a special gown preservation bag in addition to taking the proper steps for cleaning and storing it.

Now comes the truly fun part, the accessories. Here is a list of just some of the christening and baptism accessories you might want to add to your baby’s outfit.

• Bonnet – A christening gown is only truly complete with the wearing of an adorable bonnet, perhaps one with a cross embroidered on it. Some styles are even designed to easily become her future wedding handkerchief.
• Shoes and Socks – To truly have your baby looking beautiful from head to toe, you’ll need shoes and socks that are meant especially for this occasion usually showcasing a cross design.
• Blanket or Shawl – This will not only complement your baby’s outfit but will also add warmth. To make it a keepsake, some styles offer the option of personalizing.
• Jewelry – It’s amazing the tiny infant sizes available for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. A cross necklace, for instance, will accessorize the gown and make a treasured keepsake.
• Bib – A personalized bib is essential for protecting the gown from stains so it can be properly preserved.
• Towel – An embroidered baptism towel is another accessory. It might be able to be used during the actual ceremony and then kept as a souvenir.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for your baby so you’ll want to devote attention to every last detail from their christening gown to the accessories so he or she looks like an angel for all the photos that will be taken that day and treasured for years to come.

By Sara Haese
Published: 3/18/2007

What Makes A Great Christening Or Baptism Gift?
By Sara Haese

So, you're wondering what would be the perfect christening or baptism gift for a baby since you've been invited to celebrate this precious spiritual occasion.

If you are like me, you are looking for that perfect, unique baptism or christening gift idea that will put a smile on the faces of the parents as they open it. It's always so rewarding when you see how genuinely delighted the person is with your gift. It makes you feel good that you chose something they really love.

Since a baby's christening or baptism is such a special event, you might want to consider giving a gift that will become a treasured memory of this celebration for years to come. A personalized christening or baptism gift is a great choice since it will be engraved with the baby's name and the date. This is a terrific way for the baby to always remember their baptismal day when he or she officially became a member of God's family.

Here is a list of just some of the wonderful baptism and christening gift ideas available that will create a lifetime keepsake for the baby.

Engraved Picture Frame - Provides a great way to display a favorite photo of the baby in their baptism or christening outfit on their special day.

Cross Necklace - A baby's first cross necklace will complement any outfit on their baptism or christening day and can become a treasured family heirloom for future generations. Presented in a personalized keepsake box will make it even more of a memento.

Children's Bible - What a great way for the child to learn Bible stories especially when the illustrations are meant to appeal to children. Some versions can even be personalized on the front cover and are packaged as a keepsake.

Cross Plaque - Hanging on the child's bedroom wall, it's the perfect reminder that they are a member of God's family. Many varieties are available including porcelain and wood. A cross might show a boy or girl praying or it might display a prayer along with the child's name. 

Personalized Photo Album - Provides a terrific way to showcase all the cherished photos from this special occasion.

Embroidered Baptism Afghan - Throws are quite popular these days so why not give one that is personalized and commemorates the baby's baptism day. 

Prayer Teddy Bear - A truly unique stuffed animal from which the child can learn the prayer it recites.

Giving a keepsake christening or baptism gift is a wonderful way to honor the memory of this special Christian celebration as the child grows, both physically and spiritually.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_Haese

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